About Covid-19
Long-covid symptoms are less common now than earlier in the pandemic “The analysis of nearly 5 million U.S. patients who had covid, a study based on a collaboration between The Washington Post and research partners, shows that 1 in 16 people with omicron received medical care for symptoms associated with long covid within several months of being infected. Patients exposed to the coronavirus during the first wave of pandemic illness — from early 2020 to late spring 2021 — were most prone to develop long covid, with 1 in 12 suffering persistent symptoms.”
What we know about the origin of covid-19, and what remains a mystery A great review of the subject. “The most recent discovery, first reported by the Atlantic, involves new data suggesting that raccoon dogs sold in the Huanan Seafood Market could have been the source of the viral spillover. Raccoon dogs are small, fox-like mammals that have been sold illegally in Chinese markets.”
About health insurance/insurers
CMS instructs billing dispute arbitrators to resume processing all decisions “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on March 17 gave arbitrators the all-clear to resume determinations on out-of-network payment disputes alongside the release of its updated August 2022 final rules.
CMS had been forced to pause Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) after a Feb. 6 court ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled in favor of providers.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
HHS sued by hospitals over 'delayed' Medicare DSH payments About 40 hospitals across five states have filed a lawsuit against HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, alleging that yearslong delays in correcting Medicare disproportionate share hospital payments have cost them "tens of millions" of dollars.
The safety-net hospitals in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Minnesota filed the lawsuit March 14 in a Washington, D.C., district court.”
Hospital ‘Black Boxes’ Put Surgical Practices Under the Microscope “The OR Black Box, a system of sensors and software, is being used in operating rooms in 24 hospitals in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe. Video, audio, patient vital signs and data from surgical devices are among the information being captured.
The technology is being used primarily to analyze operating-room practices in hopes of reducing medical errors, improving patient safety and making operating rooms more efficient. It can also help hospitals figure out what happened if an operation goes wrong.”
About pharma
3 major insulin makers have now slashed the price of the life-saving drug. Here's why. “Amid consumer angst and political pressure over the cost of life-saving insulin, Sanofi announced Thursday it would slash the price of its most-prescribed insulin, Lantus.
Sanofi was the final holdout among three companies that make up 90% of the world's insulin market by value. Earlier in the week, Novo Nordisk followed Eli Lilly Co.'s plans to slash U.S. prices by up to 75% and 70%, respectively.
Sanofi said it will cut the price of Lantus by 78% and short-acting Apidra by 70% as of Jan. 1, 2024.”
California, drugmaker partner to produce affordable insulin “The state of California and a generic drug manufacturer announced a 10-year partnership Saturday to produce affordable, state-branded insulin that they hope will rival longtime producers and push down prices for a medication used by millions of Americans…
The state and its partner, the nonprofit Civica, have yet to locate a California-based manufacturing facility. Regulatory approvals will be needed. Newsom said a 10- milliliter vial of the state-branded insulin would sell for $30, but it’s possible competitors could slash their prices and undercut the state product.”
About the public’s health
PATIENTS LIKELY TO SKIP PREVENTIVE CARE IF ACA RULING HOLDS “KEY TAKEAWAYS
Morning Consult polled a survey of 2,199 American adults to better understand if preventive service utilization would be affected by a recent court ruling eliminating coverage in the Affordable Care Act.
At least two in five respondents say they are not willing to pay for 11 of the 12 preventive services, with cancer screenings chosen as the service most likely to be paid for.
Half of respondents skipped or delayed medical care because of cost, with three in 10 saying they did so in the past year.”
About healthcare IT
VA looking to renegotiate its $10B contract with Oracle Cerner “The Department of Veterans Affairs is trying to negotiate a five-year option period for its $10 billion contract with Oracle Cerner as the EHR modernization program has been troubled since its rollout in 2020…”
IBM, Cleveland Clinic Install World's First Quantum Computer for Health Care Research “Academic medical center Cleveland Clinic today installed the first quantum computer in the world that is uniquely dedicated to health care research – IBM’s Quantum System One. It’s also the first on-site IBM-managed quantum computer for the private sector in the United States.
Cleveland Clinic unveiled the quantum computer in the Lerner Research Institute on its main campus in Cleveland. Jerry Chow, fellow and director of quantum infrastructure research at IBM, noted the company’s quantum computer can be deployed in different environments, and typical research institutes have the ability to meet the environmental requirements.”
American Telemedicine Association announced telehealth innovators challenge victors FYI. It is interesting to see in what areas these innovators are working.
The letter grades EHR vendors get for interoperability FYI
About healthcare personnel
Emergency Department Labor Costs Climb in Early 2023, According to Latest Syntellis Performance Solutions Report “Emergency department (ED) labor costs are on the rise, climbing 50% over the past three years and reaching $186 per visit in January, according to the report which draws data from more than 1,300 hospitals and 135,000 physicians. This trend provides just one example of the long-term effects of inflation, labor shortages, and other economic challenges that continue to strain U.S. healthcare providers in 2023 following a very difficult year in 2022.”